LCR Pride Foundation Reveals First Acts for Pride in Liverpool 2019

Organisation announces headline sponsorship with Barclays and partnership with Liverpool Sound City for the 2019 festival

by Culture Liverpool

LCR Pride Foundation has joined forces with Liverpool Sound City to curate the line up for this year’s Barclays Stage at Pride in Liverpool (Saturday 27 July), with its first acts being revealed in line with the announcement. The announcement also comes as the organisation names Barclays as headline sponsor for the event.

Electropop singer-songwriter and DJ, Little Boots, and Finnish-born X-Factor Dance Like Nobody’s Watching singer, Saara Aalto will perform alongside a host of upcoming talent from the city region, including Katy Alex, House of Suarez and Daisy Gill.

Since emerging in 2008 with massive disco hits New in Town and Remedy, Little Boots has gained a reputation for being a pop star willing to experiment, fusing massive pop hooks onto otherworldly electronic soundscapes.

Taking to the stage at Pride in Liverpool, she will treat fans to her best loved songs, as well as range of tracks from her UK top five debut album, Hands (2009), Nocturnes (2013) and Working Girl (2015).

“I’m so excited to perform at Pride in Liverpool! As a fellow northerner it’s always wonderful to be back in the north, and my LGBT+ fans are so special to me. Their support has been everything, so I will be sure to put on a show for them!”

Saara Aalto exploded onto the UK pop scene in 2016 with a breathtaking performance of Sia’s Chandelier on the X Factor, eventually ending up as the season’s runner-up.

Since then she has released her debut international album Wild Wild Wonderland, had a Europe-wide hit with Monsters, become the top woman and finalist on Dancing On Ice and performed for a global audience of 180 million when she represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018.

Saara said: “‘I am ready to have a fabulous time in Liverpool with everybody! Let’s have a summer of love together. Liverpool has such a rich musical and LGBTQI+ history and I can’t wait to be back in the city.

“As a Lesbian artist it means so much to me to perform and be an advocate for my community. Pride is such an important event, let’s raise the rainbow flag together for everybody to see on July 27th.”

Barclays bank returns to Pride in Liverpool for 2019 as headline sponsor, after pledging to support the new LCR Pride Foundation and Pride in Liverpool for another two years.

John Bird, co-chair of the LCR Pride Foundation said: “We are so excited to reveal the first acts for the first ever Pride in Liverpool delivered by LCR Pride Foundation.

“Our new partnership with Liverpool Sound City will allow us to not only attract the best national and international performers to our annual Pride festival, it will also enable us to provide a platform for emerging local and regional talent.

“Saara Aalto is such an exciting performer and very active member of the LGBT+ community, while Little Boots is renowned for her unique and experimental sound, as much as her breakthrough hits. We can’t wait to see what they both have in store for Pride in Liverpool. We’re also delighted reveal that Barclays has returned as our headline sponsor for this year’s event.”

The sponsorship will mark the third consecutive year the bank has supported the annual Pride festival.

Andrew Websdale, Interim Head of Barclays Spectrum North says: “We are delighted to be headline sponsor of Pride in Liverpool for a third year. Our aim this year is for our colleagues, customers and clients in the Liverpool City Region to be prouder than ever before of our commitment to the LGBT+ community.

“We champion equality, understanding, respect and inclusivity for the LGBT+ community through a broad range of activities and initiatives. Pride is in our DNA. In the way we support our colleagues, in the culture we’ve created together, in the way we communicate with one another and with our customers and clients.

“Our Love Goes The Distance message is ever more relevant in today’s world and I am so excited to see that come to life through our headline sponsorship of this fantastic and important event. Together, we can keep the march towards true equality, both in the UK and across the world, moving forwards.”

The free festival will return to the Tithebarn Street site in the city centre on Saturday 27 July, with multiple stages of live entertainment, a dedicated youth zone and whole host of inclusive activities, stalls and food and drink vendors. More acts will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Dave Pichilingi, CEO of Sound City, said: “We are delighted to be working with Pride in Liverpool and helping to programme what we believe will be an exciting line up. Pride in Liverpool is one of the most wonderful events in the annual diary and we are proud to be part of the team.”

Festival goers will also be invited to March with Pride along the traditional route from St George’s Hall, finishing at Moorfields. Those wishing to march can sign up to the LCR Pride Foundation mailing list to be notified when registration opens. The fun will continue with Pride Sundae on Sunday 28 July, with more activities taking place at a soon-to-be revealed city centre location.